Brave and Reckless’ Call for Spoken Word Poetry, Prose and Short Fiction

I admit that I am a little obsessed with spoken word poetry, prose and short fiction. I love to record myself reading my writing and hear my words come alive the way I hear them in my head. I also love to listen to spoken word poetry—to close my eyes and get lost in someone else’s language.

I would like to make spoken word poetry, prose and short fiction a regular feature on Brave and Reckless. If you have already recorded some of your writing and uploaded it to Soundcloud (very WordPress friendly) and would like it to be featured on B & R, send me the following using the Contact link on the B & R’s top menu:

If I decide to post your recording on Brave and Reckless, I will drop you an email letting you know when it will run.

If you have never recorded yourself reading your own writing, try it! It is remarkably easy to do and very addicting! I use a Snowball Microphone and the Microsoft Sound Recorder on my PC (look in your Accessories folder) but my spoken word mentor Nick Osborne of The Dirty Limerick got great results using the digital recorder on his smartphone. I generally like to read each piece out loud to myself once or twice before recording.

I’ve really enjoyed listening to your spoken work whether yours or the muse of another’s. Personally, the singular voice without melody and only the texture of the voice swimming with words is too much for me. I self loathe. Hence I write songs instead 🙂 a wonderful alternative!

I have listened to your voice and it is so suited with the haunting poems you create. Loved listening to the words drip from your lips. As inspiring as this is, I don’t think my squeak will be appreciated!!

Our voices never sound to our ears the way they do to others. I am always worried that my voice makes people sleepy, though once or twice I have been told that it sounds like caramel, which is very flattering.

yes caramel! why did I not think of that?! i did imagine honey though but thought it too cheesy to say. No not sleepy at all, very melodic, and calming.

I have heard myself recorded, it is not pretty! I sound like a little girl! My kids and I have done commercials and at the voice over studio when we dubbed our voices in I would cringe at hearing my voice on playback!

but you have a point there about our voices sounding different to others than to our own ears, I tend not to take it too seriously when someone says I have a nice voice, I still think I squeak, and wish I had a proper adult’s voice!!

My guess is that you are being very hard on yourself. You write with such emotional resonance that I am sure that you would convey that in the reading.
Someday you will need to tell me more about the commercials. . .

And I appreciate the way you see it!! It’s been a real pleasure to meet you and get a chance to share our work with one another. The purpose of a poet, I believe, is to pass on emotions and feelings that we write down..its good to know those are being received. We all write because we must, send out our signal into the void, it’s nice to know then the signal has been picked up.

Hi Christine- another great invitation to us all, thank you! I recorded a short story of mine called The Military Jacket, which is just over 1000 words. The recording is just over 6 mins- I’m wondering if that is too long for what you have in mind? Should I do it as 2 parts? Thanks, gabrielle

This is something that has intrigued me for awhile as part of the reason I stared writing free verse and prose was because of spoken word artists such as listener and Hotel Books, how does the length of the piece of work come into the equation or is it a non-issue?